Sheet folding machine with two magazines

ABSTRACT

Folding machine for sheets comprising two magazines containing a package of sheets, a device withdrawing the sheets one at a time from the magazines, transferring members and folding devices proper. The transfer members consist of two series of cooperating rollers lying in two vertical parallel planes. The folding devices comprise superimposed rollers, plates and frames. The sheets are forced from rollers to enter the gaps defined by said frames, and to be doubled while arrested by adjustable stops located in the frames at accurate distances.

ited States Patent 1 Mantovani July 9, 1974 SimET FOLDING MACmNE WITH TWO 2,979,329 4/1961 Cunningham 271/20 MAGAZINES 3,150,871 9/1964 Boblit, Jr. et a1. 270/68 A [76] Inventor: Dante Mantovani, 7 Via Sigonio,

Bologna, Italy 48100 22 Filed: Feb. 16, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 232,322

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 23, 197] Italy 3350/71 [52] US. Cl 270/68 A [51] Int. Cl B65h 45/14 [58] Field of Search 270/68; 271/29 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,012,137 8/1935 Olson 270/68 R 2,699,331 1/1955 McGarvey et a1. 270/68 A 2,831,676 4/1958 Runzi 270/68 A Primary Examiner-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-A. J. Heinz Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Guido Modiano; Albert Josif [57] ABSTRACT Folding machine for sheets comprising two magazines containing a package of sheets, a device withdrawing the sheets one at a time from the magazines, transferring members and folding devices proper. The transfer members consist of two series of cooperating rollers lying in two vertical parallel planes. The folding devices comprise superimposed rollers, plates and frames. The sheets are forced from rollers to enter the gaps defined by said frames, and to be doubled while arrested by adjustable stops located in the frames at accurate distances.

2 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUL 91924 SHEET 3 OF 5 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sheet folding machine having two magazine for the sheets.

In the packaging field, the necessity often exists of folding sheets of paper according to a predetermined pattern in order to dispose them inside a package for informative or advertising purposes. For example in the case of boxes for pharmaceutical products it is customary to insert a folded sheet containing the instructions into the box, together with the phial or the like.

Folding machines for satisfying this requirement are available, which however because of the characteristics of the material on which they operate are not able to develop a high speed and so allow complete exploitation of the machines, for example boxing machines, with which they are associated, and which are able to operate at a much higher speed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an improved folding machine adapted to rationally cooperate with suitable operative machines.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a machine with a simple structure and easy to manufacture, to attain a very economical production cost.

According to the present invention there is provided a folding machine for sheets including two magazines formed by two plates at right angle and containing the packages of sheets, withdrawal devices arranged at the angles formed by said plates for alternatively withdrawing the sheets from the magazines, means for transferring the sheets through respective guiding channels to a folding device of the type including two series of parallel rollers lying in two vertical parallel planes, the rollers of each series being spaced from one another and tangential to the rollers of the other series, said folding device further comprising substantially horizontal frames projecting between two superimposed rollers of the same series and enclosing a gap into which a sheet may be inserted to reach an adjustable stop, said withdrawal devices and said transfer means including a pair of tangential rollers having their plane of tangency lying in the plane of the guiding channels wherein according to the improvement the two magazines are arranged above and on both sides of said folding device and the guiding channels are directed to guide the sheet withdrawn from the two magazines between the two pairs of tangential rollers of said folding device which are formed by the two uppermost superimposed rollers of a series and by the uppermost roller of the other series tangential with said superimposed rollers, and wherein one of the rollers of said withdrawal devices and of said transfer means is driven through a free wheel with a peripheral speed which is half of the peripheral speed of the rollers of said folding-device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will better appear from the detailed description given hereinafter of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 2 is a view along the lines II-II and IIa-IIa FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section along the line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view of one side along the line IVIV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view of one side along the line VV of FIG. 2; r

FIG. 6 is an elevation of the transmission members along the line Vl-VI of FIGS;

FIG. 7 is a view from above of the side of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a view along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the zone of FIG. 1 bounded by a dotted rectangle;

FIG. 10 is a view along the line XX of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to the aforementioned figures, in which the same components or constitutive parts are indicated by the same reference numerals, two rectangular vertical plates, 1 and 2, are placed and fixed at a suitable distance one from the other and constitute the shoulders of the folding machine.

In the upper zone of said shoulders 1, 2 there are two magazines which contain the packages of sheets and are generally indicated by the reference numerals 3 and 3a. Each magazine comprises a plate 4 fixed by screws 5 to angle brackets 6 which'are fixed by screws 7 to the shoulders I and 2 of the machine. As shown in FIGQZ, each plate 4 has a slot 8 which extends upwards and a slot 9 which extends sideways. On the back face of each plate 4 and parallel to the slot 8 a strip 11 is fixed by screws 10 and formed with a slot 12 along the whole of its length. In said slot is guided a block 13 in which a bit 14 is inserted crossing the slot 8 and projecting partly from the surface of the plate 4. The block 13 may be clamped along the slot 12 by means of the screw 15 and the height of the bit 14 projecting from FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation view of a two-magazine folding machine through a vertical plane; I

the surface of the plate 4 may be adjusted by acting on the screw 16. j

The base of the magazines 3, 3a comprises an inclined plate 17 fixed by screws 18 to a cross piece 19 which extends from one shoulder to the other and has at its ends fins 20 fastened to the shoulders I, 2 with screws 21.

The sheets F to be subjected to folding are sited with one edge on plate 17, facing plate 4. In order to facilitate the successive stages of withdrawal (as will be illustrated hereinafter) the sheets F are pressed from above against the plate 4 by suitable pressers which act on their upper edge, so as to allow the bit 14 to penetrate into some of them.

Each presser comprises a cylinder 22 welded to a strip 23 which has a slot 24 over its entire length crossed by a screw 25 which engages with bar 26. A second strip 28 is fixed to this bar by a screw 27 and comprises a slot 29 provided with a fin 30 hinged to a lug 31 rigid with the top of the plate 4.

The position of the cylinder 22 may be varied by sliding the strips 23, 28 and the interposed bar 26 relative to each other. I

In order to permit the strips and bar to slide in a straight line, this latter is partly encased in grooves in the strips which thus act as a guide.

In order to adjust the pressure of the cylinder 22 on the package of sheets, a spring 32 is provided which works by torsion, stressed by an'adjustment nut 33 screwed on to the hinging axes 34. As the nut 33 is screwed to a greater or lesser extent, the elastic thrust by which the spring 32 thrusts the cylinder 22 on to the package of sheets is varied.

As shown in FIG. 10, the plate 17 which supports the sheets F is provided with a front edge conformed as a comb below which a plate 36 is fixed by screws 35. Said plate 36 support nozzles 37 with which alternate pointed screws 38 which project slightly from the plane of the plate 17. The screws 38 are adjustable and the nozzles 37 are each connected by way of tubes 39 and cocks 40 to a manifold 41 fixed under the cross piece 19 by bolts 42 and in communication with blowing means (not shown).

Air is blown by way of the manifold 41 and the nozzles 37 between the sheets which lie close to the plate 4 and cause them to separate one from the other during the withdrawal stage as will be described hereinafter. The pointed screws 37 act so that only one sheet is withdrawn each time by restraining the remaining sheets.

The sheets of the package disposed in the magazine are maintained aligned by lateral sides 43 and 44 of which the side 43 is fixed whereas the side 44 may be moved parallel to itself with one end mobile in the slot 9 of the plate 4.

For each magazine 3, 3a a withdrawal device for the sheets is provided, which is disposed below the lower edge of the plate 4 and above the plate 17 and comprises an aspirator 45 and a pair of rollers 46, 47. The aspirator possesses a middle portion with a crosssection in the form of a circular sector and two cylindrical ends rotably supported in the shoulders I, 2 of the machine. It is traversed axially by a channel connected to a suction pump (not shown) and opening to atmosphere through a number of orifices 48 (FIG. 2), provided on one face of its periphery. It should be noted that the corner defined by the plane faces of the periphery of said aspirator 45 coincide with the axis of rotation of this latter and lie slightly beyond the plane of the plate 4. The aspirator 45 is oscillating about said axis and is controlled (in a conventional manner and consequently not shown) by a cam. The angular excursions extend from the position in which the face containing the aspiration orifices 48 lies in contact with the facing sheet which is to be withdrawn, to a position in which the same face lies in the plane of tangency of the two rear rollers 46 and 47. In order to aid the withdrawal stage, a straight bar 49 with a knob 50 is disposed on the inclined plate 17 and is able to slide on the plate 17 and thrust the package of sheets towards the aspirator 45.

To the same end, on varying the dimensions of the sheets from F to F (see FIG. 2), it is possible to lower the cylinder 22 and the bit 14 and move the side 44 into the position 44', so as to have the best conditions for withdrawal.

Of the two rollers 46 and 47, which as will be seen hereinafter grip the lower edge of the sheet F folded by the aspirator 45 between them in order to withdraw it from the pack, the first roller 46 is motorized whereas the other 47 is driven by friction. To this end one of the ends of the roller 46, which are supported idly in the shoulders I and 2, projects from the shoulder 2 and carries a toothed pulley 51 on which a belt 52 toothed on both its faces is wound.

The second roller 47 is coated with rubber and is supported with its ends in arms 53 bent in the form of an L. One side of said arms 53 is inserted adjustably in a lever 54 keyed on a rod 55 rotably supported in the shoulders I, 2. The rod 55 projects from the shoulder 2 and is connected by way of a suitable mechanism, not shown, to a cam which gives it an oscillating motion by which the roller 47 may be separated over a certain gap from the roller 46, in order to permit penetration of a sheet between them. As the rollers 46 and 47 rotate they thrust the sheet of paper into a transfer channel 56 defined by two plates 57 and 58 (FIG. 8), bent in the form of a funnel at their inlet. The lower plate 58 is rigid with a bridge 59 fixed to the shoulders I and 2 by screws 60 and carrying two resilient tangs 61 which act on the beveled ends of an upper bridge 62 to which the plate 57 is fixed. The bridge 62 is held with its ends embedded in seats 63 in the bridge 59 and can be removed by acting on the knob 64. Having left the transfer channel 56 the sheet from the magazine 3 is gripped by two further rollers 65 and 66, of which the roller 65 is motorized and the other is coated with rubber, thrusting it into a guiding channel 67 shaped analogously to that heretofore described in relation to FIG. 8, from which it is then fed to a folding device. Vice versa the sheet from the magazine 3a traverses one guiding channel 68 before arriving at the same folding device.

The folding device is described with particular reference to FIG. 9. It comprises a series of rollers tangential one to the other and lying superimposed in two parallel vertical planes.

The rollers 69, 70, 71, 72 are coated with rubber, whereas the rollers 73, 74, 75 are axially knurled in order to improve the entrainment. Belts 78 and 79 are wound round the two lower rollers 76 and 77 and transfer the folded sheets to the packaging machines. The ends of the rollers 66, 69-76 project from the shoulders I and 2 passing through openings 80, 81 and 82, 83 of said shoulders (FIG. 4). Each end is rotably supported in a bush 84 fixed to one arm of a lever 85 in the form of a right angle and pivoted by a screw 86 to the corresponding shoulder 1 or 2 of the machine.

A tie rod 87, passing through a block 88 rigid with the shoulders I and 2, acts on the other arm of the lever 85. Said tie rod 87 slides in a cylindrical helical spring 89 which, disposed between the block 88 and the nuts 90, thrusts the rollers so that they touch each other resiliently limited by stop nuts 91.

The folding rollers 69-77 are connected together by a gear wheel 92 with inclined teeth for avoiding excessive sound. Consequently the support bearings for the rollers also comprise a thrust bearing absorbing the generated axial thrust.

The rollers 69-77 are driven by way of the roller 77 (FIG. 9). One end said roller is connected by a coupling 93 (FIG. 3) to a motor. The same roller 77 operates the rollers 46, 65 for withdrawal from the magazines and entrainment by way of the pulley 94 keyed to the opposite end. As shown in FIG. 5, the belt 52 is wound about the pulley 95 of the roller 96 (relative to the withdrawal members for the magazine 3a), the pulley 97 of the roller 65 and the pulley 51 of the roller 46. In order to put the belt 52 into tension a jockey pulley is provided fixed adjustably to the stirrup 98 which projects from the shoulder 2. Said jockey pulley comprises a pulley 99 keyed on to a pivot 100 (FIG. 7) supported by bearings 101 in a body 102 which can slide end shaped in such a manner that it can be coupled to the free end of the roller 77, and has a knob 111 dowelled on it. The shaft is normally held in disengaged position by a spring 112 which acts between the knob 111 and the bush 109. In order to rotate the rollers, the knob 111 is pushed and is turned so that it first inserts the shaft into the extremity of the roller 77 and then entrains this latter.

A description is hereinafter given of the members which co-operate folding the sheets. As seen in FIG. 9, between the rollers 69 and 70 there extends a plate 113 which comprises an oblique slot 114 aligned with the channel 67 in order to allow the sheet passing across its edge opposite the roller 73 being concave. The plate 113 is inserted with its edges parallel to the shoulders I and 2 in grooves of brackets 115 rigid with the internal faces of the shoulders, where it is retained by the clamping action of a pair of rollers 116 between which a wedge 117 is inserted thrust by a threaded rod 118. By spacing the rollers 116 with the wedge 117, a clamping action is applied to a first pair of frames 119, 120 inserted by their lateral edges, similarly to the plate 113, in the appropriate grooves in the brackets 115. Said frames are held spaced apart by distance pieces 121 so as to define a gap and they comprise a series of parallel slots 122 in which a stop 123 is adjustably fixed by screws 124 and nut 125. frames 119, 120 is inserted between the rollers 70 and 71 and the back edge of the frame 120 is rounded so as to follow the profile of the roller 71, covering it with a beak shaped expansion 126.

Below the frames 119, 120 there is a further pair of frames 127, 128 analogous to the preceding, but which are fixed to the brackets 115 by screws 129. A stop 130 is provided adjustable along the slots 131 in the manner heretofore described. A plate 132 with a concave front, supported by angle brackets 133 projecting from the shoulders 1 and 2, is inserted between the rollers 72, 77.

In a similar manner brackets 134 (FIG. 1) are located on the opposite side of the rollers 69-77 and support a pair of frames 135, 136, provided with an adjustable stop 137 and a plate 138 with a concave edge. For fixing the frames 135, 136 and the plate 138 a pair of rollers is provided with a wedge analogous to those indicated by the reference numerals 116, 117 on which the rod 139 acts.

The folder device is completed by a plate 140 with a concave edge fixed by angle brackets 141 to the shoulders 1, 2.

The operation of the device described is as follows. The aspirator 45, controlled by the cam, rotates so that the face with the openings 48 rests on the lower edge of a sheet of the near package. The aspirator 45 is then connected to the pump and is made to rotate until the edge of the sheet is gripped between the rollers 46 and 47. In order to aid this stage the roller 47 is again lowered touching the roller 46 by means of the described The front part of the cam control. Rotation of the rollers 45, 46 then causes the sheet to be stripped from the package, and it is conducted through the channel 56 between the rollers 65 and 66 which transfer it through the channel 67 between the rollers 73 and by way of the slot 114.1t should be noted that the folding rollers 69-77 have an entrainment speed which is double that of the rollers 46, 47; 65, 66; which transfer the sheets, because they are fed from two magazines. Consequently when the sheets are gripped between the rollers 69, 73 or 73, 70 they undergo an acceleration which would cause slip between the rollers 46, 47; 65, 66; 96, and possibly tearing the sheet. To avoid this the pulleys 51, 95, 97 are supported by respective rollers 46, 96, 65 with the free wheels 142, 143, 144 interposed therebetween, which allow free rotation of the rollers for rotation speed greater than that of the pulleys.

As soon as the sheet has crossed the slot 114, it is gripped by the rollers 70, 73 and guided by the beak 126 into the gap between the two frames 135, 136 until it strikes the stop 137. As rotation of the rollers proceeds, the sheet, unable to advance between the frames 135, 136, doubles above the beak 126 until it is gripped between the rollers 70 and 74, undergoing a first fold, and coming between the frames 119 and 120. After the previously formed fold strikes against the stop 123, the sheet again doubles between the rollers 70, 74, 71 until it is gripped by the rollers 70, 74, and undergoes a second fold. During further advancement the sheet is deviated by the plate 138 between the rollers 71, 75, undergoes a further fold by means of the rollers 75, 72 and is finally deviated by the plates and 132 between the rollers 76, 77 from where it is transferred to the packaging machines by way of the belts 78, 79.

The sheets are withdrawn alternately from both magazines. This allows the withdrawal members to act at a moderate speed, so aiding the delicate stage of withdrawal of the sheet from the package, a stage which is effectively aided by the action of the nozzles 37 and the bits 14 which help to separate the various sheets one from the other.

From the foregoing description it follows that in order to obtain sheets folded according to different sizes, both the arrangement of the frames and plates and the distance of the stops from the vertical plane in which the rollers 69-72 lie can be varied.

Generally, by adjusting the frame stops with respect to the folding rollers the distance between the folding lines is varied, whereas by inverting the arrangement of the plates and frames, modification may be made in the overlapping of the edges of the sheet during folding. The invention so conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications. For example the number of magazines may be greater than two. In this case, the magazines are disposed as a dial on top and are provided with suitable entrainment members to feed the sheets to the folding device.

1 claim:

1. A folding machine for'sheets including two magazines formed by two plates at right angle and containing the packages of sheets, withdrawal devices arranged at the angles formed by said plates for alternatively withdrawing the sheets from the magazines, means for transferring the sheets through respective guiding channels to a folding device of the type including two series of parallel rollers lying in two vertical parallel planes, the rollers of each series being spaced from one another and tangential to the rollers of the other series, said folding device further comprising substantially horizontal frames projecting between two superimposed rollers of the same series and enclosing a gap into which a sheet may be inserted to reach an adjustable stop, said withdrawal devices and said transfer means including a pair of tangential rollers having their plane of tangency lying in the plane of the guiding channels wherein according to the improvement the two magazines are arranged above and on both sides of said folding device and the guiding channels are directed to guide the sheets withdrawn from the two magazines between the two pairs of tangential rollers of said folding device which are formed by the two uppermost superimposed rollers of a series and by the uppermost roller of the other series tangential with said superimposed rollers, and wherein one of the rollers of said withdrawal devices and of said transfer means is driven through a free wheel with a peripheral speed which is half of the peripheral speed of the rollers of said folding device.

2. A folding device as claimed in claim 1, wherein according to the improvement a guiding channel comprises a plate extending between the superimposed rollers of said pairs of rollers and having a slot aligned with said channel and a concave edge opposite to the roller tangential with said superimposed rollers. 

1. A folding machine for sheets including two magazines formed by two plates at right angle and containing the packages of sheets, withdrawal devices arranged at the angles formed by said plates for alternatively withdrawing the sheets from the magazines, means for transferring the sheets through respective guiding channels to a folding device of the type including two series of parallel rollers lying in two vertical parallel planes, the rollers of each series being spaced from one another and tangential to the rollers of the other series, said folding device further comprising substantially horizontal frames projecting between two superimposed rollers of the same series and enclosing a gap into which a sheet may be inserted to reach an adjustable stop, said withdrawal devices and said transfer means including a pair of tangential rollers having their plane of tangency lying in the plane of the guiding channels wherein according to the improvement the two magazines are arranged above and on both sides of said folding device and the guiding channels are directed to guide the sheets withdrawn from the two magazines between the two pairs of tangential rollers of said folding device which are formed by the two uppermost superimposed rollers of a series and by the uppermost roller of the other series tangential with said superimposed rollers, and wherein one of the rollers of said withdrawal devices and of said transfer means is driven through a free wheel with a peripheral speed which is half of the peripheral speed of the rollers of said folding device.
 2. A folding device as claimed in claim 1, wherein according to the improvement a guiding channel comprises a plate extending between the superimposed rollers of said pairs of rollers and having a slot aligned with said channel and a concave edge opposite to the roller tangential with said superimposed rollers. 